Basil, Italian

Description

Wow!  This is what the old timers who fell in love with using so much basil in cooking would have first tasted.  Bursting with aroma and deep flavor this basil will transform your cooking to a whole new level.  Plus the added wonderful nutritional benefits.

Nutritional Benefits

According to Dr. Axe

As you most likely know, basil is used to add flavor to a variety of recipes, but what may surprise you is the many benefits of basil that make it well-known for its immunity-enhancing properties.

The herb itself as well as the essential oil that it’s used to produce have been shown help prevent a wide range of conditions, making it one of the most important medical herbs and spices known today.

One specific type, called holy basil, also has a long history of religious and medical use in India, where it’s considered one of the most important of all herbs and spices. It’s a sacred herb in the Hindu religion and believed to be protective and healing.

1. Anti-inflammatory
2. Antioxidant
3. Cancer-fighter
4. Pain-reducer (analgesic)
5. Fever-reducer (antipyretic)
6. Diabetes-preventer
7. Liver-protector (hepatoprotective)
8. Blood vessel-protector
9. Anti-stress solution
10. Immune-booster

Proper Storage

You can store your fresh basil on your Kitchen counter or in a bag in your refrigerator.

The best way to store your fresh basil is in a jar of water on your Kitchen counter.  First trim the stems to a length that works with your jar and trim off the lower small leaves that would be under water.  Fill an about 2 inches of water in the jar and place your fresh basil stem ends down into the jar.  Place on you Kitchen counter, replacing the water in the jar every couple days.

Alternately, you can store your fresh basil in your refrigerator in a sealed bag with an ever so slightly dampened paper towel.  Your basil will become a bit limp form the cold refrigerator, however it will still have the same great flavor.  It will only last this way for a few days or more.

Helpful Info